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Tsanrazen Ayrudzi (Armenian Cataphracts)
Armed and armoured to the teeth, Armenian cataphracts provide their commander with a blunt, but very effective tool with which to break the spine of an enemy army. The cost of such an impact is their lack of speed, and the expense of their equipment and training will make replacing any losses rather costly. Description These men are super-heavily armoured riders atop fine armour-clad mounts. They are known as cataphracts, from the Greek hippies de kataphraktoi - "fully covered" horsemen. Forming the core of the Armenian host, these men are the creme de la creme of the country's military. Drawn from the households of the Armenian potentates and powerful landlords, or Nakharars, they are formidable, highly motivated and disciplined battle-turning force. Armed with long two-handed lance, or kontos, up to 5 meters-long, this iron fist of Armenia can pack a truly devastating punch. Their usefulness does not stop with mounting of the shattering charges, however, as their arsenal also includes swords and maces for the close quarter combat. These arms, augmented by the riders' super-heavy armour as well as the fact that horses too are protected, mean that this unit has a great staying power and can perform well in melee. Historically, the heavily-armoured cavalry of this type started to appear in the region by the end of the Achaemenid period. This seems to have evolved out of the armoured skirmisher horsemen eventually developing into a full-contact capable force. For the provision of such heavily-armoured horsemen Achaemenids largely relied on the allied peoples. Armenians, who traditionally occupied the place of honour on the right flank of the Persian battle order, were one of the nations that supplied such contingents. A Greek scholar Strabo reported that the bulky Nisean mounts were also bred in Armenia, and it is Nisean horses that were used to carry these super-heavy cavalrymen into action. The Armenian royal house maintained regiments of cataphracts and Strabo informs us that "Artavasdes (king of the Armenians), at the time when he invaded Media with Antony, showed him, apart from the rest of the cavalry, six thousand horses drawn up in battle array covered with complete armour." Plutarch also provided a brief report on Armenian cataphtracts and this caused some confusion regarding the amount of armour the riders worn. A passage in Plutarch's account describes Lucullus' order to his men to target the unprotected thighs of the Armenian cataphracts. The unguarded thighs Plutarch mentions are not riders', however, and Plutarch's account when carefully examined does not tally with the assumption that the riders' legs were left unprotected but points to head-to-toe armoured warriors instead: "The only defence of these horsemen-at-arms are their lances; they have nothing else that they can use to protect themselves or annoy their enemy, on account of the weight and stiffness of their armour, with which they are, as it were, built up." Therefore, Lucullus' command to hack thigh is most likely referred to horses' thighs. Indeed, the extant depictions of the cataphracts and survived leather-scale armours from Dura Europos show that the scale only covered the body of the horses leaving legs completely free. This was done for practical reasons, for otherwise the legs would be bruised or damaged by heavy body armour, which, if long, would also hinder freedom of movement. Although generally slow, this cavalry type could manage a surprising turn of speed and, when properly deployed, devastate even well-organised infantry formations. This was most clearly demonstrated by the Seleukid King Antiochus the Great during the opening stages of the momentous battle of Magnesia in 190 BC. In a head-on charge against the famed Roman infantry Antiochus and his cataphracts brushed the Romans aside with disdainful ease. Category:Units Category:Units available only in EB2 Category:Hayasdan Category:Pontos